Terror in Mumbai.
It was night around 10:30, i had finished watching the cricket match, and was just switching channels, and then i saw the news item. At first it was like a shootout at Taj Heritage, and then as the reports started to filter in, the magnitude of the terror became more apparent to me. I simply could not say “Oh no, not again” and then just switch channels. Because what was happening was not just another terror attack, it was a literal war. As i saw coverage of cops firing, people running, some people being evacuated, and dead bodies, it seemed straight out of some Warner Bros flick. Except that this was not movies, this was real life. And we did not have a John McLane like super hero, gunning down terrorists. What we had were cops and armed forces, fighting a battle against a bunch of desperadoes, who wanted to impose their twisted version of Utopia on the world.
As of now, the situation is still grim and alarming. But i think the security forces have done a real remarkable job in tackling the situation. Whenever a terror attack, occurs, i see all kinds of armchair experts sitting in front of their computers, wondering why the heck they can’t finish off these guys. Ok please, please remember one thing, real life anti terror operations , be it military or police, is not like some Hollywood flick, where Bruce Willis or Mel Gibson, do a one man army act against terrorists, while cops just stand around bemused. You are dealing with people who are armed to the teeth, dangerous and are holding hostage lives of other people. Real life anti terror operations are not Die Hard, its more like Black Friday. The security forces have been fighting a relentless battle for the last 14 hours or so, at a time, when most of us have been comfortably inside. Yes its quite an intelligence failure, but at least this time, please let us not downgrade the efforts of the security forces, who anyway as is do a pretty thankless job. And if you are saying they are just doing their duty, how many of us really do even that. If people were doing their duty, terrorists could not have sneaked in just like that in boats.
I had always been pointing out that we need a separate anti terror squad, to combat terrorism. We can’t treat terrorism as a normal law and order problem, because the simple fact is that the terrorist is not your normal road side pickpocket or robber. Most of them are fanatical, highly motivated and are willing to die for their cause. When you are dealing with a bunch of desperadoes, who don’t care about dying, you can’t apply the same techniques you do to catch a normal criminal. It was sad to see our security forces use outdated weaponry against terrorists armed to the teeth with the most dangerous weaponry. We need an anti terrorist force, maybe something like S.W.A.T to combat the terror operations. Lets face it we are fighting a mini war now. And to win a war, you need a unit that is professional, trained to the core. We can’t fight it with the existing police setup we have now, its just too creaky, too corrupt and too inefficient.
Well anyway in a few hours from now, i think the situation should come under control, thanks to our security forces, who have been doing a yeoman job. They are the true heroes of this nation. But what will happen next is absolutely predictable. The media and the news channels will go into overdrive with conspiracy theories, blame games and accusations, till Ghajini or Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is released, or maybe when Sachin Tendulkar becomes the batsman who has scored the maximum number of runs offside. The BJP will blame the UPA, the UPA in turn will blame the BJP, the Left Parties will blame both BJP and UPA, Mayawati will blame BJP, UPA, Mulayam Singh Yadav in turn, Raj Thackeray will blame the Bhaiyyas for infiltration, and so we will have an endless round of finger pointing. Our PM will address the nation saying “Dont Worry, we have the Nuke Deal”, and Mr.Patil will again do a Dharam Paaji style speech of “Naani Yaad Dilenge” ensuring his wardrobe is perfect, Advani will say not in my time forgetting Kandahar, Akshardham.
Meanwhile every one from Political leaders to Page 3 celebrities to movie stars to business barons would be paying tributes to the Wonderful “Spirit of the Mumbaikar”. And yes of course we would have well meaning people making snide remarks about “All Muslims are not terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims”. Quite often i have seen many people make remarks about why Muslims don’t condemn terrorism, and yes there are some who would love to see Muslims disappear forever from India. I have had Muslim friends myself, and to be honest, there was a time, when i would suspect every Muslim as a potential terrorist. But the fact is that a vast majority of Muslims are not terrorists. And Islam is not a monolithic religion, it has many groups, many sects, many sub sects, like any other religion. Most of the terrorists follow a Wahabbi kind of Islam, an ideology which itself is not followed much in many Islamic nations. Terrorists are not just against non Muslims, they are against Muslims who don’t believe in their twisted version of Islam as well. These terrorists are the modern day Nazis, who hated the Jews, Poles, Russians, French,Gays, Gypsies, Catholics and practically every one who did not agree with their theory of Aryan supremacy. In fact the Muslims are in a far worse position than non Muslims, they are branded as kaafirs and haraamis, if they speak out against the twisted version of Jihaad, and the non Muslims look upon them with suspicion. I think Mukesh Rishi’s plight in Sarfarosh, is what most of the Indian muslims go through every day.
And finally comming to the “Spirit of Mumbai”. Is it only me who thinks it has become another word for apathy and indifference? I mean every crisis be it the blasts in 1993, 2005,2006 or the floods in 2005, see the same circus going on. I admire Mumbai for it’s derring do spirit, for it’s can do spirit. But more than all that hype about it being India’s financial capital and movie capital of the world, for me Mumbai is more, it is a mini India in itself. It is a place where any Indian from any part of India, can come with just a dream and make it. It is a place where at least until now, none really bothered about where you came from, and who your Dad was, as long as you could do the job. It is the spirit that has seen Rajiv Bhatia from Delhi’s Chandni Chowk become Akshay Kumar, a superstar adored by the masses. It is this spirit which has seen a Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, comming from a normal middle class family, becomming an icon for millions of Indians. It is this spirit that has seen a humble petrol pump attendant at Aden, Dhirubhai Ambani, build an empire called as Reliance.
But today the Mumbaikars need another kind of spirit. Over the years Mumbai has been collapsing, thanks to a callous administration and a greedy builders lobby, that has almost driven the city into the ground. Normal, ordinary Mumbaikars, need to stand up now, and take charge. It is criminal to let the administration get away with such callous governance, where the civic services and infrastructure have reached a stage of collapse. How could terrorists just come in and randomly attack the city? Is it not a sign, that something is clearly rotten at the top. Administrators, officials and people in charge, are not bothered, at all, because they know that this will be forgotten in a couple of days, and it will be business as normal. But this time we can’t let it be business as normal, doing so would be signing the death warrant of Mumbai. It is this kind of apathy which is allowing Raj Thackeray to destroy the very ethos of Mumbai. I am requesting all Mumbaikars on PFC to please stand up now, and make sure the people responsible for this tragedy, and also for all the tragedies Mumbai has been facing, don’t get away scott free. We just can’t this time.
Tags: Jihad, mumbai, Raj Thackeray, Terrorism
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Sitting thousands of miles away, and hearing and watching this happen in Mumbai is disheartning, tragic and like you said, “Oh not again”. But even ocean away here in US I can feel and say that the pot of patience of Indian citizens is well about the burst. Political Correctness is not what people will think of, when this outrage pour out. Overall officials are doing the best they can. But I have to say this, I dislike the media and their coverage, not just now but overall too.
Machismo, yes i think a tipping point has been reached, and its going to burst out. I just hope this do not go into another Muslim bashing exercise. Doing so would be providing more potential recruits to the jihadis.
Where the hell are Raj Thackeray, MNS, Shiv Sena…all these useless cowards now?? Ab baahar aao aur dikhao apni “mardaangi” instead of beating up innocent northerners. For blabbering on about Mumbai pride all the time, I dont see these losers coming out and doing any relief work, offering any assistance to victims. Nothing! Cowards, good for nothing!
Lets hope this situation ends as soon as possible and with minimal loss of life. Back to watching the live streaming online for the latest…
@Vijay, you are right about MNS and Raj Thackeray. Bastards are just a bunch of bullies picking on innocent street vendors. Feel like letting fly a stream of abuses, but just keeping in check.
@ Sarang: Sadly its not a minimal loss of life. 100 odd people are dead. Very terrible attack.
Ratnakar,
That was a great piece. Wondering where is Shivraj Patil. If that guy has any shame left he should resign now.
Ratnakar
I am in Hyderabad right now & like you I was also watching the India Vs England Cricket match.after the match was over I still didnt realise what was going on till I got an sms from a friend who asked me to watch the news.After that I couldnt believe my eyes.
I am still in a state of shock- this is really getting out of hand.It was just a day before when me & a colleague were talking about Cafe Leopold & other places in South Mumbai and to see these very places caught in the circle of fire is alarming.
Last night I also got a call from a friend who was extremely shaken up.She is herself from South Mumbai & was supposed to be in Hyderabad today for some work.Due to some reason she landed here last night itself & she was shell shocked at the state of events.
As I am writing this I realise that England has already called off the rest of their tour to India ( what a shame) and that the champions league is also in trouble.In such troubled times its sports & movies which can lend a soothing balm to people.
I just hope the situation is completely bought under control & whoever is responsible is rounded up & made to pay for the same dearly.The attack on Mumbai is like having our pride attacked & that is something that we must not digest and allow it to continue!!!
@Ratnakar
I just saw that. This is one of the most terrible attacks that has happened in our country. It is time that we have better law enforcement and intelligence….. This is the limit….
As a society we should stop tolerating corruption as I believe that one of the major reason for the incompetence is due to the level of the corruption in our country…
@ Madhu: Sadly that indifferent attitude is what makes these terrorists strike at all, and what makes political leaders get away with murder.
@ Raj: Well when Shivraj Patil, was asked to resign, he said “I have confidence of Sonia Gandhi, so why should i resign”. God save India from such jokers.
This is very close to L.A style shootout where the gunmen came with heavy ammo as backup without any plans of going free. Here the attackers are not covered in bulletproof vests, but have chosen to take hostages, I don’t know if they planned this part, maybe they just wanted to run away but could’nt.
@ Sethu: Yeah i heard the news of the tour being cancelled. But if u ask me, i think it would be nice if all concerned movie makers postpone their releases tomorrow. I mean seriously i doubt if Mumbaikars would be in a position to go see a movie, the attack was way too traumatic, and they need some time to recover from it. I feel sad for what is happening in Mumbai, this is a city which i have identified thanks to the umpteen Bollywood movies, and the rags to riches stories. It makes me sad to see this city suffering like this.
@ Sarang
yes we need to have a separate ATS squad or make the existing ATS one more professional. We cant do it with the existing laws and security framework. Attackers came in a boat and made the assault. That means that some one responsible for the coastal security is either in league with them, or was sleeping on the job, and in both cases that is unacceptable. Yes without corruption i doubt if the terrorist would have found it easy to smuggle in large quantities of RDX.
@ Ratnakar
I completely agree with you.I think Mumbaikar’s definitely need some time to recover from this.and frankly speaking I dont see anybody thronging any multiplex and single screen to catch up on movies this weekend.All the more considering OLLO & Sorry Bhai are not big movies, even from the commercial angle it would make sense for the movie makers to postpone it atleast by a week.
I am too shocked! The cream of Bombay’s Police force just wiped out in one night… sigh… salute to their courage and silent prayers for their families
Yes salute the brave who are fighting it out for the rest of us and also the reporters who are bringing us the news minute by minute..
Prayers for everyone…
Time to bring back tough anti-terror laws, kick out the incompetent congress government and the terrorist sympathisers (lalu, mulayam, amar singh, ramvilas). Enough of this India-Pakistan bhai-bhai nonsense. As far as movies go, bring back ‘Gaddar’, ‘Hero’ days.
I hope the families and friends of all the people over here are safe and healthy.
I haven’t read the entire post but the ONLY THING that I want now is that NO TERRORIST escapes. NONE. Whatever it takes to do that. If you can’t catch them alive, they are better off dead.
I guess, this is the least I can expect from my police and army.
Yes, I am proud of all the officers and personnel who risked their lives since last night.
@ 17 Raj, I can relate to your anger and sadness. But I don’t think this is the time for jingoism.
I was so shocked to hear this….was driving to Houston for the long weekend from some remote village in Texas…and got to know about this brutal human act in Mumbai. I’d plans of watching OLLO in a theater..now I don’t feel like. When some one can open fire with automatic weapons at VT, it can happen anywhere in India…it’s really scaring me…
I hate CNN for their very pro Amrican stuff..they were tolerable today..have been glued to news channels since evening..
Ratnakar, thanks for writing such a relevant post in such a short time. I’ve been observing PFC since it was 3-4 months old, and only you have been the most prolific blogger/poster here than anyone..thanks pal..keep posting.
RIP all the victims..
a big salute to our Police officers..
I think its OK that ppl move on and watch Rab Ne.. and Ghajini or whatever they may want to watch. That’s a fitting reply that no one cannot stop us from living our lives.
But the people-in-charge should never forget why the bloody thing happened at first place. There are many questions and none should be left unanswered.
Today’s act will determine the course of history of India, IMO. Its our second tryst with destiny.
And yes, this time please do Vote. “Agar aap vote nahi kar rahe ho, toh aap so rahe ho” Jaago! for God sake.
I don’t mean to sound insensitive or divert any attention from the great job done by the Mumbai Police and the NSG, but one entity which has exercised some restraint and shown some respect is rediff.com.
ALL THE DISCUSSION BOARDS WHEN I SAW LAST HAD BEEN CLOSED.
THAT IS A LANDMARK.
PS: Oh shit they let me down! they are back again when I went to do a check! tch
Oz , thanks for that wonderful gesture of yours of making Nov 28, a Blog Silence Day. And my heart goes out to all the cops who died fighting for the nation.
As of the latest update, all hostages in Taj have been rescued. Bravo to them.
Sitting in Ahmedabad, I am feeling this restlessness, I want to know how I can be of help to Mumbaikars.
Feeling depressed, couldn’t do anything since last night,
“Bhagwaan muze shakti de”
Vishesh- you are sitting in Ahmedabad, I’m sitting in Hyderabad & both of us arefeeling restless, similarly lots of others all over India & outside ( including many others on PFC itself) feeling the same all conveys the fact that we stand united & that is the greatness of our country.
So let all the mad..ch..s creating trouble understand this.I am proud of all the forces fighting it out for Mumbai, for India right now.And hoping for more positive news on this front!!!
And I seriously appreciate the gesture of Oz to make 28th Nov ( tom) a Blog Silence Day.I am sure when we are back on 29th, we would have a lot to cheer about.
latest news seems to be that the Navy is chasing a ship called MV Alfa which is supposed to have dropped the terrorists off Mumbai’s shores
this is total chaos…. only last month i was in Mumbai with wife…had hearty breakfast in Leopold, got the pics clicked at Gateway, Nariman point, roamed all day in Mumbai – taxies, local….had lunch at Taj and caught Deccan Queen frm CST for Pune.
And now seeing all these places covered in blood, fire makes me go numb….
Anjali,
They are not “leaders” they are politicians.
I think your statement about “a truly disgraceful situation” seems xenophobic. That Italian is still so much better than many native “Hindu” politicians speaks volume about the lack of “leaders” in our great nation.
Disclaimer: I am not a Congress party karvyakarta neither BJP or any other party. I always understood party to be an occasion where I can free food and beverages :-)
Sethu, Shekhar,
You are right, in diversity lies our strength. People from different places, professions, interests, skills standing tall together.
This reminds me of the scene from Lagaan, when all 11 players stand side-by-side in front of Zaalim Capt. Russell :-)
Some days back I saw “The Seize” on the tube, these attacks seems the real life versions of the attack depicted in the movie…..I hope politiciens and army don’t respond the way they did in the movie.
@Param,
I know what you saying man. Mumbai is under “The Seige” and I think the Army and NSG is doing a great job in keeping things under control.
Thankfully, some part of the Executive is functional. The only thing that I know now is, its time for change.
@ Vishesh
I am not sure in what way u find Senorita Maino, better than our leaders. And no i am not being xenophobic, but its plain clear, that she and her Prince Charming are as muddle headed as most of our leaders.
I aint a BJP supporter, but its clear that the Congress muddle headed and ham fisted policy on terrorism is responsible for the mess.
The Hindu terrorist angle has turned out to be a fiasco, with the ATS ending up with egg on theri faces. And the less said about Shivraj Patil the better.
Its clear as hell, that most of the Bangladeshi illegal immigrants have been involved in the terror attacks, and yet instead of kicking them out, the Congress and its friends in UPA, make em voters, just for the sake of votes.
The Congress, Mulayam, Laloo have been playing havoc with their Muslim vote bank politics, mollycoddling all kind of retarded leaders, just for votes sake. And their vote bank policy, has not benefited the ordinary Muslims, but has just made them suspects in eyes of other people.
@Vishesh
I am talking about the psuedo marshall law where every muslim will be treated as a terrorist and persequted likewise….Do go after the perpetrators with all your might but FOR GOD’S SAKE IMPROVE THE INTELLIGENCE GATHERING.
We seems to have become banana republic with terrorist attacks getting as common as nobody’s business.
i am from kandivali in mumbai, a long way from colaba. it has been a terrible night for everyone. couldnt sleep, was watching the news till 4.30 am, and feeling only one thing – HELPLESS. it was A Wednesday yesterday and coincidentally again a 26th (this number is a curse for India), and Naseerji’s dialogue from the movie echoes in my ears, it went something like, the terrorists are making a statement ki hum to tumhein aise hi ghus ke maarenge, kya karloge tum.
and amidst all this, the shiv sena has the fu(|<ing guts to call a bandh on monday to protest against the arrests of Sadhvi Pragya Singh and Lt. Col. Purohit. bloody shameless bastards.
@Ratnakar,
I agree that there has been governance failure at all counts.
But that is not just because that some one is Italian.
That a person is incompetent has nothing to do with nationality.
There have been many other politicians who are worse than her.
I am a firm believer that you judge a person on her actions and character not from where she is.
Isn’t India full of such stereotypes about Marwari, Gujarati, Punjabi, Sardar, Bangali, “Madrasi”, Muslim, and of course, for that one person, Italian. That’s what I am against.
@ Amit,
I think as an individual I may be helpless.
But as a team (not group, not mob) we are strong.
We may have different way of looking at things but we are looking at the same things. And that’s a comforting thought :-)
PFC allows me to find a team where I can be a part of.
I agree with the sentiments expressed by Anjali. While the ATS was busy framing innocent Hindu Sadhus and defaming the Indian Army, the real terrorists sneaked in behind their back and have wreaked havoc.
One more piece of news, former Prime Minister VP singh is no more
Mr S. Patil’s favourite movie : Fashion
Mr S. Patil’s least favourite movie : Bomb blast
Mr S. Patil’s worst nightmare : Wardrobe Malfunction :-)
Mr S. Patil’s favorite lullaby : Naani teri morni ko mor legaye, baaki jo bacha tha kaale chor le gaye.
Mr S. Patils’ one line vision for his Ministry: Home Shanti Home (God no more bombs please!)
A little humor in dark times does no harm, I suppose.
@40, Oh he is dead. Sorry about that. But he was singularly responsible to divide the country on reservations.
I pray he comes within reservation quota for the place in Heaven.
I also saw the news ,and immediately changed the channel to MTV which was playing Rab Ne bana di Jodi song…..
@ Vineet Great, keep up the spirit.
@ Vishesh @ 42- Exactly my views on Mr.Singh.
Also Vishesh, i dont think any terrorist as of now has escaped. The Security forces have been doing a lion hearted job.
@Vishesh
I second you
This guy is modern version of Nero, the roman emperor who claim to (in)fame is that he was playing flute when Rome was burning.
And this guy has balls to say “why should I resign”…I guess people who don’t vote ultimately get what the deserve.
So guys do vote and make a choice for better
a disclaimer – I am not a BJP supporter, I support only those who can do their work like Laloo has done.
@ Amit Mishra
Your account sounds really chilling. God i am feeling like Naseer in A Wednesday seriously. But considering us we will get through this.
@ Param
I can understand ur feelings man.
@Vishesh, Vinit, Ratnakar
Don’t forget that he(VP Singh) was the guy who had the guts to blow the whistle on Boforce when he was the defence minister and he resigned on moral grounds after a major train accident when he was the rail minister.
whatever he was, he was a very honest person – a rarity when we consider modern politicians, read Shivraj Patil
@ Vick
Yes dude, my entire last night has been sleepless. I really admire all the cops and security officers for their bravery. Had it not been for them, we would have had more fatalities and damage.
Yup, I think morning mein there was some news that couple of ch*t*y*s escaped.
But all said and done, I am indebted to these brave men for restoring the faith of a nation in her children.
And also a big thanks to media. They did not do any propaganda or jingoistic slogans so far from what I have seen.
Most of the media reporters last night and today morning were women risking their lives for bringing us the news.
but why cant we get to the root of this..what abt this Deccan Mujahideen organisation… i read somewhere they were demanding the release of some bastards ….this is a bloody mockery of our entire system and security……is there no way to stop this ?? i am sure if our government has a will there surely will be a way out …
AAJ TAK should be banned …it seems there were very much excited….”mumbai bachegi ya nahi??” What the fuck is this …
Param,
Every cloud has a silver lining. Sometimes a silver lining just has the biggest and baddest and blackest cloud. Mandal Commission was just that for VP. Arjun Singh is going on the same lines.
These politicians have learned only one thing from their erstwhile rules. Divide and Rule.
As in math a divide-by-zero is error, most of the division by zeroes (VP, Arjun et al) are the biggest error in India’s history.
@ Anand
The Govt and political leaders have no will in the first place. So way ki baat choodo. I mean if they have not been able to wake up after so many attacks, then i doubt whether they would ever.
@ Param-35
For that we need to have a proper anti terrorist organization, free of political interference. And which is professional and trained, in things like intelligence gathering, surveillance.
Anand,
AajTak and India TV and Star News, worst offenders IMO.
Even NDTV has started following them.
Man, I am feeling little better over here now that I am able to vent out my thoughts.
Thanks to all of you guys!
Fashion or no Fashion, Shivraj Patil is the worst person ever to have occupied the Home Minister post. And its not his fault, he is not a person suited for the job, he was forced into it by Madame Gandhi. When you put a square peg in a round hole, this is what happens. But here you are putting at stake, the very concept of national security.
In IT parlance what you are doing is taking a HR person and asking him to protect the network from security leaks. A total disaster.
I wont be surprised if India TV comes out with a news item, about how the Terrorists were actually Martians in disguise.
Vishesh
I am not a fan of the guy…somehow I feel this guy resposible for my being a web content writer (not a bad job but certainly not my calling)instead of being an aeronautical engineer which was my dream…no complaints though, life is too short for that.
I think IBN was the only channel whose coverage was really up to the mark and not over the top
@ Anjali
I would appreciate it if you could not convert this into Muslim bashing.
What Mulayam, Laloo and Co are doing is appeasement of fundamentalist Muslim leaders, not the Muslim masses. The thing is that ordinary Muslims have seen through that. Laloo’s attempts to win Muslim votes using an Osama Bin Laden look alike backfired, as the Muslim voters switched over to Nitish Kumar. Mulayam’s cynical attempts to cultivate the Muslim vote bank, did not fetch any results in the UP Polls.
Well i dont know if regular Muslims are noble or virtous, but many of them are essentially decent people. Like u i hate the kind of sham secularism we follow, but that is the fault of the leaders who cultivated those cynical vote bank politics.
And please yaar, Muslims are not having a party with all these blasts. In fact they are faring worse. Those who stand up against terrorism, are condemned as kaafirs and haraamis. And non Muslims treat them with suspicion. Its like they r having the worst of both.
I appreciate all the comments by you out here, and thanks for showing that PFC people dont just live in a movie world.
One small request, i would prefer it if people tone down the tenor of their comments. Also please no hate attacks against other communities. No i am not being politically correct here, but the last thing i want is that this turns out to be another Rediff message board or Orkut forum.
Please remember that the people who laid down their lives for us, did so because we are Indians, not because we are Muslims, Hindus, Marathis, North Indians or South Indians.
What has happened in Mumbai, is not just a terror attack. It is an act of war. It is unprecedented. It has a degree of sophistication to it, that has been unknown to India.
I agree a tipping point has been reached. We need to retain and exercise right of hot pursuit. With so many training camps operating across the border, and causing us so much pain, we need to go and stamp our authority once and finally. Look at the US in Afghanistan, entering Pakistan on will, and killing the terrorists.
It sounds easy said than done. But its time to take difficult decisions.
Oh well Anjali that is something i hate myself. I am quite a tolerant person, but whenever i hear these kind of “Oh these terrorists are misguided souls” crap or some smart ass comments on Hindu religion, it makes me want to become a fundamentalist.
These seculars should realize that this kind of political correctness and sham theories, is what riles an average Hindu who otherwise is tolerant.
Anjali
you are going overboard…..I coming frm a small muslim dominated town and recieving education in one othe muslim centres of the world (Aligarh)…have muslims friends than (may be)you have ever met….and none of them was a fanatic…do condemn the attack but don’t tarnish the whole community…this way we are paving way for more muslims take the hardline route….
Ratnakar
I agree with u man…lat’s not make this another Rediff…we can do better
Ahem! khoon to dheere dheere sabka garam ho raha hai.and I am happy to see that, but whats the point of giving this a communal colour friends?
first lets hope for a quick end to this chapter & then look at the way forward.I think we need to continue supporting all the forces fighting it out even now & trying to defuse the situation.
Its strange as to how reel life & real life can sometimes go hand in hand.As Amit pointed out , it was A Wednesday yesterday & it clearly reminds me of the film………….
This is what i got from Rediff
http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/nov/27mum-antony-warned-of-maritime-terror-in-2007.htm
Defence Minister Antony had given warnings that terrorists could attack from the sea.
Tho bait ke yeh log kyaa kare rahe tha. Mujra khel rahe tha kya? Ya antakshari khel rahe the?
God man, i am seriously sick of such jokers looking after our security.
Thanks Ratnakar, for answering on my behalf.
One of things that I always side step is conversation based on religion.
I don’t know where Anjali is coming from. She may have had bad personal experiences and no talk of mine will help in that case.
Its good to be charged up about something but a nation building exercise is never a “Us vs Them battle”. Myopic civilization which get extinct talk like that.
yup PFC is not Rediff. Thank God for small mercies.
I will personally close this discussion if this is going to get into religion. There is no room for such discussion on PFC. All religious bashing comments will be deleted and the commenters banned
@ Saurabh
Well it was Uncle Sam himself, who arm twisted India not to go into hot pursuit in Pakistan, as it would have affected their military operations in Afghanistan.
And yes George Bush’s botched war in Iraq, made sure that the Al Qaida got a foothold in a nation, where it barely had a presence. Saddam Hussein is a dictator, a tyrant, but not even his worst enemies would accuse him of being a terrorist supporter.
Oz, that’s the way to go.
Wish our governance could have same zero-tolerance for lawlessness.
.
Just final point from my side,
I happen to be a fan of a Khan, I love music of a Rahman, and lyrics of an Akhtar. Have loved direction of Farhan and Farha. Never ever thinking about their religion (except for this one time)
Art knows no religion, no boundaries.
Why can’t we just learn this one thing from Art.
And that’s all I have to say about it.
If I don’t see you anymore then Good Afternoon, Good Evening and Good Night :-)
it clearly is not an attack by a community on some other community. dont make this into a political issue. why is it that people nowadays cant think beyond religion. anything happens, the first thing to come out of people mouth is their religion (or region nowadays). where, on the risk of sounding cliched, has the basic humanity disappeared. insaniyat kahan kho gayi hai. the bloody assholes have not discriminated when they opened fire while escaping in a hijacked qualis near Metro cinema. the bullet didnt ask for the persons region or religion before hitting him.
stop acting like religious fanatics people, and start behaving like humans.
@ Param,
Yup, you are absolutely right. Life is too large hearted for petty issues and too short to remorse.
“Hain Din Jindagi ke chaar, tu fikar ko goli maar.”
@ Amit, I am with you on this one.
I wonder why cliches become cliches
Cos Goddamn, nobody listened to it when it was first spoken.
First of all, thank you PFC for this forum. To talk, discuss, vent, rage… and uncover a path to a better world.
Well, said Anjali. Yes, the “Muslims” have been “appeased” too long. What’s key i think, like Ratnakar says, is to perceive the difference between the Muslims who are terrorists and the Muslims who are not – maybe to give that element another name, so that it is not bungled together with an entire community, that is also victimised not only physically, but also through thought and everyday discrimination.
it’s not the solution, and i see so many people in the wake of this terror vent it out and point fingers at “Muslims”. That, to me, is scary. I understand the knee jerk reaction to the situation, but it’s important to see sense.
i wonder… will any of us, chatting here in virtual space, stand up and be the indian barack obama – assuming, that is, that he does open the way to a better america. will any of us, given the chance, take over from the dirty politicians who we claim are ruining our country?
Vishesh… where’s your party?
@ Amit
Cliches are there because people want some way of feeling that they are superior to others.
And its a common thing all over the world. The problem arises when people start to make those cliches appear really true.
Hitler did that and we have seen the result. And yes we have also seen the result in Bosnia and Rwanda.
@Vishesh
Goli hi to maar di saalon ne
Bloody F***ers
@ Ruchi
Indian Barack Obama, hmm dont see it at least for now.
Obama rose to where he is today, because the American political system allowed him that. He could challenge some one like Hilary Clinton, who was more experienced and had the backing of her husband, an ex President himself. But there was a process, by which he could challenge her and ultimately go on to make history.
Indian political parties are mostly family fiefdoms, where the Crown Prince is next in waiting. Can u imagine any 1 challenging Rahul Gandhi in Congress Party and becomming a PM candidate?
So unless we have a proper political system in first place, i dont see an Obama as of now.
@ Param
Well i was one of those in the anti Mandal agitation of the 90’s.
.
But Mandal or not, he was a super flop as PM, just doing a juggling act and nothing else.
[ Please read Ruchi's comment in full]
this time some Ruchi…jesus our women folk is getting really worked up.
Ruchi, Thanks for being the voice of sanity.
I completely agree with you.
To quote a book In spite of the Gods, we (as Indians) are people of words and not of action.
We give knee-jerk reactions to such crisis and then let it be at that. No action, no follow-up.
We are a reactive nation and not a pro-active nation.
Party ke liye jab bole, jaha bolo :-)
@ratnakar
and i was witness to one of many self immolations as a toddler when i accompanied my father to AIIMS….what a waste….true that guy did give rise to a Frankestein monster…
oops my mistake and apology to Ms. Ruchi…..
@Ratnakar
thats so true, we need an overhaul of the entire political system. whosoever feels like joining politics just gets up and forms his own party. there should be some kind of a limit. there are hundreds of parties in India now. all are involved in some kind of arm twisting for their own benefit. once a person is in power, he/she wants to first fill his/her own coffers, the citizens of the country come last.
@all
a terrorist has called up a news channel now (India TV). such an arrogant brainwashed bastard he is. he is just 25yrs. name – imran babar. he is sounding like a stuck-up record. kashmir is the issue here according to him.
@ Amit- 82
Well i guess this Babbar guy does not realize, that a majority of people in Kashmir voted in elections.
Their refrain was simple “We want sadak, Bijli, paani” and Azaadi was the least of their concerns.
Except for the tired old folks in Hurriyat and their pals in ISI, and some “Valley Leaders”, majority of Kashmiris just want a normal life.
@ratnakar
he says that he was a medical student. he left a job with some mnc to come here and do this. you should listen to him. its such a chilling realization that the youth can so easily be brainwashed.
Ever wondered why all the terrorists call up India TV only?
I was in 8th standard when Mandal happened and had no idea what it meant except that we had no schools.
But yeah, few things happened during Engineering admissions. I did not get in Electronics and I was mighty pissed at that time.
I am not against people of so-called BC classes but just that it should be a level-playing field.
In a land of mediocrity, let meritocracy get a chance.
@ Amit
That is what is really worrying. The earlier assumption that terrorists were people who took to the Gun, because they were poor, had no jobs, nothing does not hold true any longer.
The guys behind 9/11 were all educated and well off. It is the fact that educated people are being brainwashed this way. U can deal with a criminal who is uneducated and poor, by offering him a better life. But how do u deal with these kind of people, who believe in the twisted concept of a Islamic World?
What is sad, is that due to people like him, normal sane Muslims, suffer the consequences, getting branded as terrorists, being viewed with suspicion. It is a really no end game.
Yeah, one of the accused in Ahmedabad blast has also confessed about the way he was brain-washed into doing such a cowardly act.
Its lack of awareness about humanity and the way of life which sadly our present education system does not think fit to be taught.
Man, we should really start a political party, its time for change. Be a part of system to change the system.
Just felt like putting up this clip from Black Friday, its just so chilling.
This is the latest from Rediff
04:45 PM: Lot more commandos have arrived outside Nariman House. A team of commandos is scaling the building. Helicopters overhead are providing cover.
Godness this is like a scene from some Hollywood flick. Only this is reality and there is no Mel Gibson or Bruce Willis here.
@Ratnakar
the clip brought back some spine chilling memories.
@vishesh
nowadays the seed for hatred is sown right from the childhood. the guys who are in their mid to late twenties now, were at a very impressionable age in ‘92-’93. all that coupled with constant talks of hatred against the muslims has left a lasting impression on a lot of minds, and its very difficult to change that.
@all
ever since the riots of ‘93, there has been some event at regular intervals which has cemented the negative image of the muslims. now imagine yourself at the place of a normal muslim citizen of India, and imagine his plight living amidst so much hatred. i shudder at their mental plight.
history is repeating itself, what with the antics of Raj Thackeray and this current terrorist attack.
we have to take some steps to save our country now. if nothing is done, the country will surely go to the dogs.
Its a real sad and grim situation in India today. My heart goes out to all those affected directly.
how is the flight situation in Mumbai ? Are people feeling safe to come out ? or they can travel on scheduled flights to Mumbai and can they go to nearby cities like Nagpur/Pune, internal transfers ?
Latest Update from Rediff
05:08 PM: IAF keeps seven transport aircraft and one VVIP aircraft on standby in Delhi [Images] for airlifting troops and leaders at short notice.
What the heck for???? Do these bunch of jokers need special aircraft for travelling?
I wish these idiots take the example of Bill Clinton, who refused to go to the Tsunami affected areas, saying his presence, would just merely divert attention.
Do we need to give special security for these idiots, who have been doing NOTHING???
KCP, Domestic flights r running, but all international flights have been cancelled.
Yes Ratnakar @89. They must have analyzed and studied the complete scenario in the daytime today and they will definitely plan a massive rescue operation as soon as the sun sets or in the night.
I have heard different. Only a few international flights have been cancelled.
Latest Rediff Update.
05:31 PM: Commandos are in NCPA apartments across the road from Trident hotel, and firing at the terrorists, police officers said.
http://www.travelbizmonitor.com/security-beefed-up-at-mumbai-airport-due-to-mumbai-terror-attacks-4101
Security at CST beefed up
Isnt it high time for Sane Muslims to come out and take a stand. A higher dgree of righteousness is expected from them.When ur son is away for more than a month, u dont know where is he? It is your duty to report to Police..
My Muslim frend is so ashamed today,there is some awkwardness in talkin such stuff with him.
@ Parth-98
They have been doing it. There have been many news items of Muslim bodies takign a stand against terrorism, issuing fatwas against Terrorism.
Sane Muslims are taking a stand parth, and in fact paying a heavy price for it. They are dubbed as Kaafirs if they do so.
Unfortunately the utterings of insane Muslims, get more TRP’s for the TV channels.
@ 98, I think they have been doing that regularly and it’s more of a token now.
And why should they?
Everytime you want them to do that, you are reminding them that “folks, we don’t trust you, so why don’t you prove your allegiance”
But yeah, I agree somewhat about that part that if you think your kin is missing, report to police.
Though sometimes you may not want to do that due to nature of the reason that kin left the house.
That’s when you advertise “Beta, ghar aa jao, maa bahut bimaar hain” in newspaper.
Just a couple of comments and thoughts before I go silent for tomorrow’s vigil for the victims. Great tribute, BTW.
One, I am always amazed that a simple email claiming responsibility by an unheard of before group is taken as the absolute truth. I mean, I could have sent that email! Lets look at all the facts before speculating who it is and who it isn’t. I heard CM Deshmukh speak right after the sieges began, and he was conveniently out of town on Wednesday evening and quite calm and collected on the phone. I would urge PM Singh to speak less about blame and more about the courage of the security forces and of all the victims and citizens involved, and I mean by that ALL that were nearby these horrific events – terrorist excluded, of course! And Thackeray, well, just stay silent altogether!
Two, I condemn the media for constantly pointing the finger at the security forces and police and supplying the viewing public with a variation or other of this sentence: “We are not getting any information from the police about what their tactics or next actions will be”. WHAT information! Seriously? So you can then broadcast it to the criminals who are committing these acts? You don’t think they know how to watch TV?? CNN anchors do it constantly and with these sad faces, then turn around and giggle about something idiotic with their co-anchors. Get over it, and simply have your correspondents stand there, in front of the sites of these massacres – like all the displaced people and those helping out – and report. On what is going on! Not what is to come. That is what the viewing public is expecting of the news anyway.
Thanks for the article and my heart goes out to all in Bombay, and all who are worried for their loved ones.
Nina ur welcome, honestly speaking i was disgusted with some of the reporting yesterday, which ranged from wild speculation to rumour mongering. But again considering that the reporters have been there continously, risking life, i would still appreciate them.
As for the security forces, they deserve a 21 Gun Salute.
As Churchill said “So many would be grateful to so few”.
As for the Thackerays, i feel they have done the right thing by keeping their mouth shut. We dont need further trouble from Bal and Raj.
Once again thanks to every one who contributed to the discussion out here, Raj, Vishesh, Sethu, Param, KCP, Anjali, Machismo, Sarang, Oz, Ruchi, Nina, Amit, Parth.
Agreed Ratnakar,
The journalists on the ground are going through the horror right alongside the people. It’s the ones in the comfort of their studios I object to… And thank you again for the thoughtful piece!
So, how do you wash a brain? with acid or water? I don’t know what’s “brainwashing”. I think that if there’s a solid grounding in humanistic learning, if there is love and warmth in a home, then a brain can’t be washed into any which shade of red.
i would actually like to have coffee with this guy.. the one with the AK47 and the backpack and black t-shirt. i want to know what makes him tick. i don’t know.. i just find it intriguing. what makes a man kill like that. what cause could be so deep and urgent.
i would imagine it’s a very real cause for him. something that he’s built his world on… as much as humanism is for most of us. we can’t turn it around till we penetrate that.
not offering a solution in any form. just ruminating. i’m angry. but i dont’ see the sense of that emotion, except for the stomach ulcers that will eventually assail me. just looking for what i can do… what we all can do.
anyone serious about that political party? i’ll cheerlead and support. i believe we can breakthrough this. but that’s all i got. belief.
cheers guys.
thanks for this.
@ Raj:
Q1> What success did POTA/TADA bring in ALL the terror cases that happened when they were in place?
Q2> who can guarantee that they wom’t be misused?
Q3> Who was in power during the attacks on Parliament, Akshardham, Godhra… Why could those cases never be cracked?
Q4> To solve a case, you have to get to its root. The criminal him/her self can take you to the root. So, why is everytime the ‘terrorist’ shot dead?
Q4> What evidence is there to suggest that the last spate of attacks were Pak-sponsored? (They themselves are fighting terror now & have become cagey & extremely shakey about it)
Q5> What good happens from the jingoism inculcated by films like Gadar and Hero among our illiterate/semi-literate/educated illiterate citizens?
Q6> Why aren’t you naming politicians of a certain group as terror sympathisers as, of late, they have been busy backing terror accuseds (who share their colour)?
Q7> Your surname suggests you are from the south of the Vindhyas. Extending your logic, can’t a notorious Mumbaikar namesake of yours deive you out from Mumbai?
Q8> Several times more poeple have lost their lives in Vidarbha in the last 3-4 years from a cause than terror has killed in the whole country in the same time. Do you KNOW what the cause is?
Q9> Maoists are a bigger threat to the concept that is India than terrorists are. But they have wide acceptance. Why?
Q10> Do you think retaliation will heal extremism? If yes, how?
If I may say what I can without sounding fanatical at all –
The concept of Islam is unity. It teaches to learn humanity first before resorting to religious principles. But the greatest gift that Islam brought was to bring all people together – no sect, no sub-sects or groups period. It was this identification of being just a Muslim that was tarnished by colonial rule or even before that (read Aime Cesaires “A discourse on colonialism”). The example can be seen during the annual pilgrimage of Hajj where all human beings wear the white cloth to signify peace and universal brotherhood.
Relating to Jihad, the word itself means “to strive” or “effort” with either the evil in ones own heart or in standing up to a ruthless dictator. But it has clearly been stated that Islam should NEVER EVER be “spread by the sword”. No religion teaches us this. And it has been quoted so many times in the Qur’an that one who takes the life of an innocent is as if he has killed humanity itself. Jihad has many sets of rules and regulation and these violent acts happening to innocents by these shameless and misled people, they cannot be labeled as Muslims, far, far from that. They do not deserve to be spared, not even be taken for a trial.
Regarding Ratnakars stand on Wahabism, sir I mean no disrespect. I was brought up in Saudi Arabia and nowhere have I heard or been taught such traits of Wahabism. It doesn’t exist that way. The term Wahabism was used in the middle of the 20th century when Abdul Wahab began to unite all the tribes of Saudi Arabia under one flag. It was in accordance to the Hambali school of thought that the country was built. And that is why today almost all evils related with society and human values are nowhere in sight. This applies to all, not just Muslims. There is no discrimination as such.
It is a bloody sad day for India and Mumbai especially. God save all those innocent people. And may all the people who gave their life to save these innocents Rest In Peace. My thoughts to the families of the deceased.
Q1> What success did POTA/TADA bring in ALL the terror cases that happened when they were in place?
Q2> who can guarantee that they wom’t be misused?
Q3> Who was in power during the attacks on Parliament, Akshardham, Godhra… Why could those cases never be cracked?
Ok the NDA Govt goofed up during Kandahar, Parliament but that in no way absolves the UPA regime of its blunders. Its like saying so what if i am dickhead, ur also a dickhead.
Q4> To solve a case, you have to get to its root. The criminal him/her self can take you to the root. So, why is everytime the ‘terrorist’ shot dead?
Oh ok, so would the agencies be allowed to interrogate the terrorist to get to the root. No you would have each and every sundry “intellectual” asking for his release, taking protest marches. When the security forces capture a criminal, do we allow them to do their duty. No every one of us becomes a Truth seeking crusader.
Q4> What evidence is there to suggest that the last spate of attacks were Pak-sponsored? (They themselves are fighting terror now & have become cagey & extremely shakey about it)
Are u seriously tellign that this kind of attack was just carried out by a bunch of loony desperadoes with no ISI support? Gimme a break. Oh yeah Pakistan is now fighting terror, but the ISI has become a totally rogue agency, and the Govt has no control over what is happening in NWFP and the regions bordering Afghanistan, where the Taliban and the assorted Islamic outfits run a parallel Govt. It was the Pakistan Govt’s soft pedal approach to terror, that created the mess and that is a fact every one knows.
Q6> Why aren’t you naming politicians of a certain group as terror sympathisers as, of late, they have been busy backing terror accuseds (who share their colour)?
Come on to date the ATS has not been able to produce one single shred of proper evidence regarding the Hindu terror. All it has done is diverted the intelligence agencies to do what they r supposed to do.
Q8> Several times more poeple have lost their lives in Vidarbha in the last 3-4 years from a cause than terror has killed in the whole country in the same time. Do you KNOW what the cause is?
Q9> Maoists are a bigger threat to the concept that is India than terrorists are. But they have wide acceptance. Why?
Q10> Do you think retaliation will heal extremism? If yes, how?
Vidharba, Naxalism is a separate issue Not at all connected with this Topic. If u want to write about that, please post a separate thread.
@ Ratnakar
I really appreciate your effort to write this & create an outlet for all such like minded people to pour in our thoughts.
And its my sincere wish that the whole operaton would get winded up soon!!!
Joyjeet every one out here knows why people die in Vidharba and also about Naxalism, so if u are trying to score some liberal brownie points now, sorry not here. I hope i am clear.
there always are people who try to divert the attention from the current issues.
have u all heard the politicians on the TV, lagbhag sab ke sab apni political roti sek rahe hain. as it is, the people here are terrified, it would be good if we dont fu&$ing hear these assholes rant about their shitty politics. every single one of them has next years elections in mind while visiting mumbai.
I agree with most of what is said about the politicians but we also have to realize that it is not the politicians that are the only corrupt and useless lot. There is a big set of bureaucrats that are as bad…. it is their combination that has brought our dear country to this state.
Thanks Ratnakar for keeping this thread active with positive questions…
Yes tough laws are necessary, but they cannot be just blind laws. Also, a consolidated effort is necessary from the political establishment to set up an Anti-terror framework and infrastructure for a better future….
@sarang
agree with what u said. i dont think anyone nowadays can say that they havent helped spread corruption in some way or other. right from bribing the traffic police to avoid the fine to high level bribery, everyone has participated in some way or the other. but we have to take in respect what led to all of this? what has led the people to believe that bribing is the easy and only way out? i think that somewhere it is the politicians who are responsible for it by setting precedents for rampant corruptions. and the government is also to blame for not keeping such corruption in check. and to top the list, we ourselves are to blame for blatantly supporting corruption.
@Amit
Agreed. I am not trying to take any blame off of our politicians. Only trying to bring out how equally corrupt are our bureaucrats.
It shall be interesting to say the least as and when we get more information on where the root of this conspiracy is. Already there are hints on support from across the border. Source: Ibnlive and NdTv Live…
Flaky reports on how the home ministry was posibly informed about something like this before hand… Can’t necessarily support this statement as I do not know where I read or heard it…
@ Amit and Sarang
We get the political leaders we deserve. We elect the Govindas, Siddhus and Dharmendras swayed by their glamor and then crib when they don’t perform.
The people of Mumbai NW choose Govinda over a seasoned administrator like Ram Naik. What happened, that guy did not even turn up when his constituency was flooded in 2005.
We haggle and bargain endlessly with some poor roadside vendor, who is trying to make a living, over some dress, which we will discard maybe after a couple of months? Wny is is that we don’t think about the person who will represent our constituency in the future? When we go to a shop, we spend hours debating and discussing what to buy? Why dont we even show an interest in the person we are electing?
Yeah we take an easy way out saying what difference does it make, all politicans are the same? The only thing that kind of escapist attitude does is that the political leaders know that since we don’t care, they nominate some retard for it.
In Bangalore, the voting is lowest in the urban areas, and especially in the posh colonies. But yet u will see these people on Page 3 cribbing about how bad the infrastructure is, how bad the roads are and all that stuff.
In Hyderabad, people of Jubilee Hills, prefered to sit watching cricket, rather than voting. And these were the yuppies who benefite the most of Chandrababu Naidu’s policies.
Tomorrow as a political leader, if i know that by promising free power to all, i will get votes, and even if i get the roads done up, and improve sanitation and public utilites in my area, i am not getting any votes, i will definitely promise free power.
Sarang, i did hear about how Antony and Mr.Patil had all the information before hand.
So if they knew it, what the hell were they doing??
Baitke, Qawaali baja raha tha kya.
Also, it took our dear PM more than 12 hours to address the nation or even express shock.. By that time all the countries around the world had expressed their support and condolences…
Such things don’t show nicely on the administration..
Also political corruption is there in all countries over the world. But the biggest problem for us in India, is the corruption at lower level. To get ur certificate u need to bribe, to get a driver’s licence u need to bribe, in fact to get the dead body of ur beloved one from a morgue we need to bribe, that is the far worse cancer we r having.
For me one reason for the corruption is the jumble of laws and regulations we r having that simply don’t make sense, but all they do is provide the Govt officials an excuse to loot and make merry.
@ Sarang-116
Give Manji a break yaar. He has to speak with Madam, get his speech approved, make sure Madam does not get offended. Thoda time lagta hai.
@Ratnakar
I agree .. Also, I believe there must be a concerted appeal and effort to put up a process for NRIs to vote.. like every American can vote wherever in the world they are… We should be able to do so… Is there anything already that enables us (Indians, Not in India)?
@ratnakar
i have been voting ever since i became eligible. but the problem that engulf us is that there are too many political parties, there is not much awareness among the people (many still ignore the elections), loads of ‘i dont care’ attitude in the youth and many more.
people should be made aware of the ‘No Vote’, and there should be a large scale co-ordinated ‘No Vote’ campaign when we dont have confidence in the politicians up for elections.
i am all for the ‘No Vote’ and am definitely going to use it if i dont find a good candidate the next time around.
@ Sarang, if we are able to grant dual citizenship to NRI’s, i dont think granting them right to vote should be an issue. Maybe NRI’s could take a lead in asking for right to vote also.
@Ratnakar 118
Madam always has the priority too.. She gets to send statements out first and only then the PM. She gets to live in the PM’s official residence and our PM anywhere else in the entire country… We all know how that works….
@ Amit
No vote does sound good, but problem is what if too many voters express the same, it coud lead to a dead lock.
I think best way out is something like let the voters know the candidate. Since we have the RTI act, we could use it to get the information on voter and background. I mean out of 5-6 candidates there wud be at least one capable person.
Ratnakar@121
Yes, I plan to find out. Its about time we ask for the ability to perform our fundamental duties along with our fundamental rights..
@Amit 120
Lucky you. The times that I have tried someone already voted for me and they still do…
@Amit
I have also had the idea of something like ‘No Vote’ for a long time. I think what Ratnakar said @124 we should use all the tools available to get all information about candidates who are standing and spread information.
Spread Information, right information…
Interesting discussion going on over here.
My 2 cents:
1. Laws help when you catch terrorist but not when they are planning to create havoc. At that time, we need Intelligence. This was total intel failure.
2. No vote sounds like a good option but its not. Its like saying I don’t want anyone. But then who comes? There cannot be a vacuum. A headless organization is far more dangerous than a senseless head.
3. I think we, the employers (citizens) should lay off our employees (the MPs, MLAs) or better fire them. We need change of guard. Immediately and Desperately.
I am seriously considering how to go about doing # 3.
We seriously needs to get out of this “all politicians are bad” attitude. Its just a kind of escapist, indifferent attitude. What that kind of attitude, does is that even if a capable person is standing for post, he/she loses out? Granted that our political leaders might not be photogenic or look good on TV, but those people are the ones who will represent us for next 5 years.
@ 125,
Sarang, how about having an online portal which mentions each and every candidate for each and every constituency?
@ Vishesh
Vis a vis Point #3 mentioned, there is a Right to Recall, in most of Western democracies, so that is something we can put in use here.
Remember Swades,
Samasya yeh hain ki, Samasya hum khud hain.
I need to empower myself as a citizen instead of blaming everyone else for my country’s fate.
There was a political party floated by IIT graduates called Paritrana I think.
What happened to it?
@ Vishesh-128
Generally most of the election comission websites give information about the candidates.
In fact these web sites have given some really good information about how constituencies are affected after Delimitation.
@ Vishesh
Dont think, that party has had any success. The problem with such kind of parties, is that they tend to be pretty elitist, favoring one section of society. When you are fighting elections, you are dealing with a vast cross section of people, each with their own needs.
One common thing, is i hear people saying clear pavements of vendors and hawkers. Ok fine, but what is the alternative? Most of these hawkers are those making a living, and are really poor. So suppose u reach out to them, saying that ok we could create a hawking zone for u, that is like kinda win-win situation. Just one example.
Ok interesting discussion, here, but have to be leaving now. Goodnight all, and keep it going on, but no personal attacks and comments about religion please.
.
Once again thanks Vishesh, Amit, Sarang, Raj, Param, Anjali, Ruchi, Sethu, Oz, Nina, KCP and all those
Yup Ratnakar, in a complex social structure like India, there has to be win-win solution for every problem.
.
For that we need 1. discussion 2. debates. 3. resolution and 4. execution.
We are stuck at 2 mostly, even if move to 3 and hopefully to 4, the law of diminishing returns kills us.
@ 104 Ruchi,
For the first half of your post, it makes a very interesting premise for a movie.
For the second part, I know whom to contact if I ever start a party :-)
If you see the list of dead and injured at
http://mumbaihelp.blogspot.com/
one realizes that terror knows no religion or region. It kills :-(
Vishesh@137
Yes, Terror does not know any difference, religion or otherwise… Thanks for the link..
I believe that only after detailed debates we can get resolution. There might not be any resolution for the debate but it might provide interesting and viable options to move forward. So being stuck in debates is not necessarily a bad thing if we change our outlook towards the debate.
Sarang,
But every thing has to be time bound. I see nation governance as managing a project or developing a product, in hi-tech industry terms to simplify. You have to make decision within a time line.
If we end up in endless debates, we are in a limbo. Inaction is not always the best action.
Remember the days when we used to blame red tape or bureaucracy that stifles growth even now. This is no different.
@sarang
one good idea to spread information and public message, can be through our movies. if not basing your movie on a public message, we can atleast have a message oriented 1 minute or so movie at the beginning of a commercial feature film, just like those small featurettes at the start of the pixar movies.
@vishesh
‘No Vote’ is a very powerful tool. it will not lead to a headless organization, instead it can be used to force the parties to atleast make good people represent them. so, if the parties have a goon as their representative in the election, a no vote will make them change their representative. if there is a considerable amount of no vote in a constituency, the candidates are scrapped, and new candidates have to file again.
@ratnakar
first of all, thank you for opening up such a good platform for discussion.
i totally agree with u on the politicians bashing issue, but i have problem with them pushing their agenda at every event, even at such a grim time.
I think every country gets the government it deserves and India deserves no better ,we are split by all kinds of divisions ,race ,caste ,class ,clans language ,plus religion is really big in India which makes it impossible to take logical decisions ,plus it is plagued by endless problems like illiteracy and what not.
I don’t see the situation improving in the short term.
@ Amit,
Election is a very expensive and long process. Re-election is an additional cost. It may not end up being very practical.
Taking a best case optimistic (and idealistic) approach, for MPs, with No Vote, there will be re-election for almost 500 seats. It may not stop at first iteration, if the next set of candidates are also goons. This will frustrate voters more than anyone else.
Taking a worst case approach, for MPs, there is not enough No Vote, we don’t get what we set out to achieve so it is same as current system.
One way to do it is, instead of 5 years we can have re-election every 3 years. Again, its a wishful thinking
@ Vineet.
Don’t lose hope. Change is never instantaneous but if its in right direction, every step is bringing us closer to our goal.
.
Our generation may not reap the benefits but if the next gen does, its a job well done.
We need mossad. period. we need a operation wrath of god right now. Israel shud be our model.
@vishesh
thats where awareness comes in. if just a handful of people use their power of a ‘no vote’ its never going to work out. first of all people should be made aware that there is something called as a ‘No Vote’.
also the expensive part is never going to change. lets get it over with once and for all. looking at the way the inflation is going up, it maybe better to bear the costs now than 10 years down the line.
@vineet
if our freedom fighters had thought like you, we would still have been under the British Raj. we must not lose hope my dear friend. hope coupled with action brings about CHANGE.
@Vishesh
Agreed. But I believe that constructive debates haven’t happened for us to reach a feasible solution. And yes, everything needs a deadline.
@Amit
Not a bad idea about short movies…. You have got me thinking….
NDTV India says that some hostages from Nariman House are freed :-)
I hope every innocent is safe at the end of this ordeal.
Yup, we need the best Intel on this earth.
@ 145 Amit,
Yup, we can have a pilot run for some by-elections to figure out its manifestation.
.
Sarang/Amit,
for every 1 min movie that we make, the goon with his money power can make 10 min movie. We need a rating system for every candidate. Just like we have for stocks or even baseball player or tennis players. A feedback system from the constituency which shows how effective has been every candidate been.
@vishesh
we can never force the public for everything, we have to provide them with the facts, at the end its up to them to decide between good and evil. if we have opposition it doesnt mean that we give up. in the face of a strong opposition we have to strive harder to deliver our message, if the goons make 10 minutes of crap, we can make one minute of gold.
@ 149, Amit.
Who defines gold? In movie parlance, Mithya may be Gold for PFC-ites but for man on the street, Singh is King is gold.
.
Right now, public (including me) has decided for indifference and apathy.
I know we will have to try everything and lets see what works out best.
Not one thing will give us a desired effort. A collective will and efforts are the key. 1-min movie can be tried so can be a rating system and a third new thing. Whatever it takes to clean up our lives.
@Amit Mishra
For the record India didn’t win independence because of it’s Freedom Fighters ,the British gifted us independence.
@everyone
I am not losing hope or anything ,it’s the truth ,it may sound cynical but true none the less.
@vishesh
lets just hope that a few things from our discussions are actually brought into practice.
as for gold, we dont have to follow the norms of commercial cinema for that. we can make hard-hitting statements in a small movie. remember ‘rashtriya saksharta mission’. i am up for helping in any endeavour that originates as a result of our little debate today.
lets just set the ball rolling somehow.
1st of all,Thanks a lot Ratnakar for having said what most of us are feeling at this moment.
I really don’t know what to say here as whatever had to be said has already been said by everybody around here,just that the amount of rage i feel at this moment is blinding.Only problem is,whom to be angry with.
Is it the impotence of our administration?
Is it the death of the cops????
Is it the audacity of the terrorists??
WHAT!!!!!!!
“Kuch kar guzarne ko khoon chala”
I am with you too, Amit. Its time for action, does not have to be a perfect start but anything to make things happen.
@ Vineet,
I would wish British were so generous :-). There is nothing like free lunch, my dear friend. Neither a free independence. Our forefathers have paid a price for it.
@ Vikram,
The rage and restlessness brought me to this post. And having a healthy and constructive discussion over here has helped in soothing that anger.
Time for another cliche: Isn’t anger always blind? The sword that neither knows friend nor foe.
Anyways, I am gone for the entire 24 hours now in few minutes. I will see you on a peaceful 29th.
The blog silence is nearly upon us here in India. RIP o brave soldiers,your sacrifices shall not go in vain!!!!
@ vineet
thats a very cynical view you have that freedom was gifted to us by the british. it undermines every life laid down to secure independence.
@vikram
exact sentiments boss.
@vishesh
totally agree with you on your reply to vineet.
I think we’re on the edge of something new,
Something good is going to happen very soon in India;
I strongly believe in it
@shekhar
my exact views.
i strongly believe we are on the verge of some revolution. people have reached their limits IMO. the glass of sufferings is full, and is about to overflow. whatever happens, i want to be a part of it.
Shekhar, I have the same gut feeling.
Friends, thank you talking to me and bearing with my view points. I am signing off for the time being.
.
To all the brave who lost their lives in this war.
I quote from Gates of Fire:
.
“Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by,
that here obedient to their laws we lie”
.
I salute you and proud of you, brother!
Thanks Amit, Ratnakar, Sethu, Shekhar, Sarang, Vineet, Ruchi, Oz, Anand.
I had heard phone calls by terrorist to India TV, link is on rediff.com It is complete incoherent babel and its scary to hear that’s all it takes for enemies of civil society to find some idiot like this to carry out their motives.
More info from Israeli newspaper
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1041535.html
Thanks for sharing your views with us Vishesh.
the biggest challenge is that we need to stand up together inspite of all the negatives.
aren’t we supposed to observe silence ,why is a political discussion still going on in PFC ?
Moderator bhai log where are you guys ?
This is such a “Convenient article” to be writing at this point. As convenient as the momentary spirit of all those people who are shouting “Bharath Mata Ki Jai” in response to the announcement that the operations at Nariman House have come to a close..
There really can be no victory that can result out of this kind of an attack. There should not be filmi parallels drawn or easy idelogies that should be stated here..
All the above said things can only momentarily tranquilize the fact that we were defeated on the night of the 26th of November….
We were defeated that night, hands down.. And that’s it..
Lets not draw such a convenient path for ourselves to be heard…
Let us stop being a country where every seeming rupture of our social fabric starts with vehement anger and confusion and ends with Mahesh Bhatt’s announcement that he is making a movie on the concerned subject…
Sorry.. But we r just oversimplifying things that way..
Ratnakar – great article. I’m in the US and though I don’t know anyone in Bombay (Mumbai has an unsecular /regionalistic connotation to me), as an Indian, I am deeply shocked and saddened. I studied in Bombay for 2 years, and like you mentioned, it is mini India. I hate that it is being torn apart like this. Its time to unite. I miss the unity songs they used to play on DD – ek titali/ theme of all the sportsman running with a torch across India/ the one with all the actors and musicians singing together – however simplistic they were, we atleast grew up believing in the idea of a united and secular India. We have to remember that what unites us is far stronger than what divides us. Lets watch chak de India or even Amar, akbar Anthony again and again.
why did anything to do with religion has to be religion bashing
does this means that no intelligent discussion is possible on religion
.
it is playing safe
this kind of discussions ultimately end up being entertainment
if the discussion has to be fruitful
one can not avoid the root cause
.
religion is root cause
can the religious root behind terrorism could be denied
.
this should be so much more evident at least in india
where religion almost solely controls the life
.
i don’t belong to any religion
don’t conclude anything from my name
i love rumi as much as i love kabir and lao tzu
.
i am a human being
and i claim all the great flowers of humanity as my heritage
jesus is mine
buddha is mine
al hilaj mansoor is mine
sarmad is mine
hakuin is mine
as much as krishna is mine
.
there is no escape from the fact that all the fundamentalism and its aftermath has its roots in religion
.
all the fundamentalism is wrong
it does not matter whom it belongs
.
in india vedics live side by side with jainas, charvaks, and buddhists
the rebellion of mahavir is unparalleled in the human history
buddha shook the very root of indian social structure
still no harm was done to them
in the whole history of india there is only one great man who was murdered for his views – mahatma gandhi
his death is a blot on the great tradition of india
and the responsibility falls on the group who claims to be the custodian of indian heritage
.
staying away from intelligent discussion on religion is totally ostrich like behavior
.
dare to discuss
vishrant, for a noble intelligent discussion you don’t have to use words “dare to discuss”… in my opinion that means in such a sensitive hour that you hold dubious intentions by publishing this comment.
Dare to come out with your real name and place, first before your challenges on the internet.
And the discussion on religion was not stopped because of what you are narrow mindedly thought and understood as stated in your comment.
You need to first stand yourself on an open platform with your identity before you make such “dare to discuss” statements. But then I don’t think you will. And this is not a time to challenge or take challenges.
I am still in a state of shock and mourning and reading your comment just hurts my heart on how can anyone so immediately after a tragic event get up and voice such statements under the garb of anti-fundamentalism. Your comment is akin to the same lot of local Mumbai people who were drunk and verbally abused the CNN reporter right in front of Taj, having nothing to say and having no courage to to help the injured or face the terrorists… but having just enough heart to verbally assault a non-Indian female reporter… why? because they could afford to. And you dear Vishrant can afford to throw such challenges on the internet, right after a tragedy because of your anonymity.
Peace out.
if it is my anonymity
.
it is dear to me
.
delete my comment
.
i wrote because i think the thought i present
is powerful enough in itself
.
if my thoughts need my personality behind them
they are of no value
dear vishrant, i have said this earlier and I will say this on your anonymous face again… I will not allow REAL ISSUES AFFECTING REAL PEOPLE to be discussed BY ANONYMOUS PEOPLE WITH FAKE IDENTITIES.
You have the guts to come out, declare your identity, I will see to it that you discuss your thoughts here or will create a new platform for you. otherwise. bye bye.
Peace out.
All my muslim friends have gone underground and they refuse to speak to anyone. They refuse to surface, dreading another day they are going to face with fingers pointed at them, with no fault of theirs.
its a time bomb we are sitting on. and when it will explode it wont see the religion of anyone, it will consume one and all.
its a war of hatred and intolerance, which is not going to ever end.
so true and well put Suchita.
As much as i’d like to contribute to this post, i’m struggling to find the words.
I’ve never been to Mumbai.
And it’s not the 1st time i’ve heard about a terrorist attack.
Yet, I feel crushed.
I can’t explain why.
I’m overcome by such a strong sense of sadness.
Since i’ve switched the news on, my heart just sank.
I can’t stop thinking about what’s happened.
I don’t know what else to say….
I really can’t find the words… :-(
over 15000 people attended hemant karkares funeral. . .hemant karkares wife refused compensation from narendra modi
@ Abhay
Great thing she did. Just couple of weeks back, Hemant Karkare, was Villain No 1 for Modi, because of his investigation into the Hindu terror angle. And all of a sudden he has become a hero for him.
@ Steve man, i am also feeling totally numb and senseless. The battle is over, but the wounds will remain for some time. India has become a nation deeply scarred now.
@ Suchita, u put it right here. The last thing we need is an anti Muslim backlash, and more finger pointing at the Muslims.
@ Oz
hey did that really happen to the CNN reporter. If yes thats really pathetic and frustrating.
That incident has found no mention in the media here in mumbai.
@suchita….
for all those who question the integrity of the Indian muslims should have seen the programme on Times Now where strategic expert Maroof Raza gave it back to an ex-aide of musharraf and mind you not in a jingoistic manner but rationally.
about time this religious colouring of terror stopped
@ Sreehari
I dont know if this article was “Convenient” or not, i just felt and wrote it. By the way celebrating this victory is something retarded. I was sick at the sight of people bursting crackers, and chanting “Bharat Maata Ki Jai”. This was a comprehensive defeat for us, and the scars will be there for quite a long time. This is a time for introspection, not celebration.
“Your comment is akin to the same lot of local Mumbai people who were drunk and verbally abused the CNN reporter right in front of Taj, having nothing to say and having no courage to to help the injured or face the terrorists… but having just enough heart to verbally assault a non-Indian female reporter… why? because they could afford to”
Who the hell were those retards, they should have been thrown into the slammer immediately, and given a sound thrashing, till their hangover comes off.
Yesterday was the day of silence, a day of introspection. I sort of did that, amidst chaos at work and in life.
Earlier I was frustrated, numb, helpless and all the possible words that can be used for a victim.
Now, I am figuring out what can I do.
I think if I stay above board in terms of ethics, do my work sincerely and maintain my integrity, don’t rot in mediocrity, that’ll be a good start.
Rest of the grand plans will fall in line. They always do.
Movies are catharsis for me. Even the silly ones.I want to believe ki Picture abhi baaki hain Mere dost, yeh The End nahi hain, there will be Happys Endings soon.
I am reminded of the following lines right now:
.
Tu hi toh hain jo bataye,
Jaaye to kis disha mein jaaye,
Yahi Desh, Yeh Jo desh hain tera,
Swades hain tera
This article may be “convenient”, “contrived” whatever. I am glad it was there.
Everytime NDTV India plays “Ek lau is tarah, kyun bujh gayi, Maula” I feel like crying.
Sometimes “convenient” articles are necessary for they are “comforting” and help in venting out grief and anguish.
Thanx Oz,
Ratnakar- absolutely,
Ashwin- sadly people who are in the backlash mode don’t watch channels they just blabber and act according to what they are fed in their minds. its like a chinese whisper that keeps growing and manages to engulf the ignorants and irrationals which in turn embroils the knowledgeable and the indifferent ones.
i got this mail which i have been forwarding around. check it out. thanx
Dear friends across India and the world,
We’re all feeling the shock of the awful attacks in Mumbai. All our hearts go out to the victims and their families.
The attacks were aimed at our people, our prosperity and our peace. But their top target was something else: our unity. If these attacks cause us to turn on each other in hatred and conflict, the terrorists will have won. They know that hatred and chaos feed on division. They also know they are radical extremists, and their only hope of reaching society as a whole is by turning the rest of us against each other.
Let’s deny them that victory. We’re launching a message to extremists on all sides and all our political leaders, one that will soon be published in newspapers across India and Pakistan. The message is that these tactics aren’t working, that we’re more united than ever, united in our love and support to each other, and determined to work together to stop violent extremism. If millions of people sign it, our message will be unmistakable, click below to sign it and please forward this email widely:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/india_undivided
It’s time to speak out, let’s do it together.
Thanks
——————————–
Just signed it
someone mentioned nris getting the right to vote. . I think thats just about the stupidest idea ever. . You chose to leave the country remember? And dont give me bullshit about better future for our children etc we have children too. . Its easy to sit in front of your computer screen in new york houston or philly and make comments like we need to change the system. . I wonder how many mumbaikars are here?not many i guess judging by the inanity and mindless venom of most posts. . I know ground zero is startlingly different even here in the suburbs.
Abhay-187
As far as NRI’s right to vote, well maybe we cud discuss that separately. Well and NRI’s have the right to make comments, if u don’t agree with their comments ur welcome to disagree, but ridiculing them for making comments, is stupid.
Yes most of us are from outside Mumbai, and we are posting here based on what we know and what we are seeing in TV. It would be great if you could give your view from Ground Zero, instead of just ranting.
None of us here are experts or intellectuals, we are just common people with a job, and with some ideas, so please dont assume a High and superior Moral Ground here.
@109>
I don’t need to score any points on PFC. I think its a channel where all can table opinions. I assert that right. And btw being liberal isn’t such a bad thing after all — this channel itslef is such.
yesterday during the blog silence, a very haunting question was raised by one of the many news channels…….”are we still united?” it has set me thinking, are we? once tragedy strikes, we all bunch up, but after a few days, there will be a raj thackeray, there will be a narendra modi and we all pry for each others blood.
same will happen now, a few days down the line, the people will put this entire fiasco at the back of their mind, and get on with their usual lives. the hindus would again start hating the muslims, the marathis will again start hating the bhaiyyas, the northies would have an issue with the southies. and vice versa. the politicians would sit in their plush offices with all the Z-Z+ security and make scathing comments. they would laugh all the way to the banks, who is it that bears the brunt of this hatred? as my friend vishesh said yesterday, ‘the stupid common man’.
when is it that we will realize that these politicians are all hand in hand. on-screen they bicker against each other, and off-screen they kiss and make up. a good politician is an almost extinct species, and we can count them on our fingers.
all the politicians were requested that they should stay away from ground-zero as they might create diversions and law-and-order problems. but what do we see, the great indian vote trick.
why is it that we, the common man are afraid of the exact same people we vote into power? why is it that we dont have the provisions to question our representatives on a common public platform (atleast i am not aware of any)? what is the use of blabbering about the great indian democracy, when its not much better than dictatorship (an example would be the whims of Raj Thackeray, if he has his will Indians wouldnt be able to move about freely in our own country)?
@ Amit-190
Well we need to get out of the “I, Me,Mysef” attitude. We make a bif show of “Mumbai Spirit”, but why is that spirit absent during normal times. Accident victims lie on the road, and people just go by without even taking a second look. People live in apartments for years together, without even knowing who their neighbour is. It is easy for a terrorist to just slip in unnoticed, take a flat, and plan his entire operation, because he knows that none will really bother.
Raj T could not have pursued his divisive agenda so blatantly, if he did not have support among the people. Whatever political leaders are, they r not dumb. They would not do something if they knew it had no benefit.
Yes we need to question our political leaders. Can’t we do it. When our cricket team came back after exiting the first round in 2007 World Cup, we stoned their homes, attacked their family members, send them death threats. And for what, just a sporting tournament, where one wins and one loses. Never mind the fact that this much abused and much reviled cricketers, have given us moments of pleasure. Their going out from World Cup was not a crime.
We are so angry that cricketers make money from ads, but we dont ask why the political leaders live on our taxes and do nothing for us. Those cricketers are people who are not living on the tax payer’s money, they are making their living in their own honest way. But thats what i guess we are a bunch of bullies, picking on soft targets.
We show our heroism, by shouting “Sachin Hai Hai”, just because he has not been able to score in a match, never mind that this same Sachin Tendulkar has bought more fame to India, than our leaders. But what about our political leaders who to date have only boughy ignominy on our nation.
I am not suggesting we do a Rang De Basanti or A Wednesday style act. That solves nothing, but yes we can demand our political leaders to be more accountable.
Next time a political leader comes for votes, ask him whether his party is willing to take the lead to set up an anti terror agency? Whether they would modernize the police system? Whether they would introduce more effective legislation?
And yes how many of us are even aware where we have to vote in first place. We can no longer say all politicians are alike and get back to our TV sets. Its too late.
This is a comment on the unity in India bit. I have read a lot of people blaming our politicians, the ruling party specially, some are saying its the Pakistanis, my grandmother says only BJP is going to benefit, so probably they have done it.
The not knowing who done it scares me the most, actually. If only we knew, we could deal with the problem. If only we knew….
@ratnakar
thats a very good parallel you have drawn, which highlights the psyche of the people.
anger of the common person is very much visible, but yet the news channels are ignoring the average mumbaikars and running behind celebrities for their 2 bits. lets just hope that this event is not forgotten like the rest. the relatives of the dead and injured should not be the only ones to keep the memory of this ghastly act alive in their hearts.
BTW we all know in which country this attack was planned. Are our film-stars some of whom talked about strengthening relations with Pakistan
still going to do that country and say things like”Indo-Paki” bhai-bhai , etc and talk of friendly relations?
If we were serious of tackling terrorism, people
like Sanjay Dutt should still have been in jail
for his role in the 1993 attacks. But even on this forum there has been plenty of support for
Sanjay Dutt.
ye raat bhar ki achchhi need ka asar ho sakta hai
.
i am a sannayasin of osho
my sannyas name ’swami maun vishrant’
.
name in my passport – gaurav mishra
.
age 31
was born in village ‘maura’ district ’sidhi’ mp
education – master degree in economics
i trade derivatives at nse
current location – foothills of sagar university
.
this is not to make a point
but there also seems to be no point in vehemently defending anonymity
hmmmmmmmm
broad biography would be life of hakuin with love of sarmad
bura jo khojan main chala, bura na miliya koya
jo dil khoja aapna, mujhsa bura na koya
- kabir
Even I thought about the “son of the soil” Raj Thackery while people were dying on the streets and soldiers engaged in battling the handful of highly motivated gunmen.. He is always ready to play Holi with innocent people’s blood. These terrorist’s can also be termed as outsiders, as per his theory, so why did’nt he come out with his brave forces &engage in the battle ?
Phat gayee na saale ki ?
Wish we could clear such scum of the society, wish he was inside any of the Hotels that night.
~~~Prasoon Joshi’s poem after the Mumbai terror attacks(it touched me, so i thought i should share with you)~~~
Is baar nahin…
Is baar jab woh choti si bachchi mere paas apni kharonch le kar aayegi
Main usey phoo phoo kar nahin behlaoonga
Panapney doonga uski tees ko
Is baar nahin
Is baar jab main chehron par dard likha dekhoonga
Nahin gaoonga geet peeda bhula dene wale
Dard ko risney doonga,utarney doonga andar gehrey
Is baar nahin
Is baar main na marham lagaoonga
Na hi uthaoonga rui ke phahey
Aur na hi kahoonga ki tum aankein band karlo,gardan udhar kar lo main dawa lagata hoon
Dekhney doonga sabko hum sabko khuley nangey ghaav
Is baar nahin
Is baar jab uljhaney dekhoonga,chatpatahat dekhoonga
Nahin daudoonga uljhee door lapetney
Uljhaney doonga jab tak ulajh sake
Is baar nahin
Is baar karm ka hawala de kar nahin uthaoonga auzaar
Nahin karoonga phir se ek nayee shuruaat
Nahin banoonga misaal ek karmyogi ki
Nahin aaney doonga zindagi ko aasani se patri par
Utarney doonga usey keechad main,tedhey medhey raston pe
Nahin sookhney doonga deewaron par laga khoon
Halka nahin padney doonga uska rang
Is baar nahin banney doonga usey itna laachaar
Ki paan ki peek aur khoon ka fark hi khatm ho jaye
Is baar nahin
Is baar ghawon ko dekhna hai
Gaur se
Thoda lambe wakt tak
Kuch faisley
Aur uskey baad hausley
Kahin toh shuruat karni hi hogi
Is baar yahi tay kiya hai